he discovered the sunroof had stopped
working. Icing on the cake: He backed into
a vehicle in a parking lot, which affected
the sensor in the bumper.
The vehicle went to the area dealer
in September. Initial diagnosis was that
about six different error codes were
responsible for setting off the warnings,
and a simple reflash would not fix it. Tech-
nicians might have to remove parts and
panels to install a new wiring harness.
Then radio silence. Calls were infre-
quently returned. I finally got a notice
at the end of October that a part had
come in. A regional factory represen-
tative would later tell me that, against
all Subaru service policy guidelines, the
vehicle sat for weeks before anything was
ordered and the whole experience was far
outside corporate standards. We slid into
November with no car and no answers. A
call with a service manager was canceled.
We were told to work with Subaru at the
corporate level to get answers.L
ife with our long-term 2019 Subaru
Ascent has become a tale of woe.
It has spent months at the dealer-
ship with a cascading list of ailments. It
has had an electrical makeover, and the
ghosts in the machine have manifested
themselves in many creative ways.
Last spring, a New York City garage
valet scraped the side, and in May a rock
chip cracked the windshield. Replace-
ment was complicated by the fact that
aftermarket glass could block or distort
the camera used by the EyeSight driver
assist safety system. Replacement had to
be done at the dealership where it could
be inspected and recalibrated.
Things were relatively uneventful
through August. Then everything went
kerflooey. Automobile’s Detroit editor,
Todd Lassa, was behind the wheel when
the dashboard lit up, indicating that
EyeSight and the passenger-side airbag
were disabled. The transmission fluid and
check engine lights were also on. ThenI finally got the car back mid-November.
Three issues had been resolved.
The body integrated unit (BIU) caused
the dash to light up, prevented commu-
nication with EyeSight, and affected the
sunroof and locks. The lower dash trim
was removed to install a new BIU, which
restored communication and sunroof func-
tion. But EyeSight and the locks were still
not functioning.
Issue No.2 turned out to be a problem
with the EyeSight connector, which might
have been damaged when the windshield
was replaced. The headliner and A-pillar
were removed to install a new roof harness;
dash, instrument panel, and carpets
remained intact. Techs also replaced a
blown fuse.
The third item of business was to replace
the damaged reverse automatic braking
sensor and brackets in the bumper from the
slow-speed collision.
The rip-ups left their mark. A few weeks
later, the car was being scheduled for more
service. The driver’s seat belt was no longer
height adjustable, and there was no heat
coming from the lower vents. And the trim
covering the wiring in the A-pillar fell off
and was hanging inside the vehicle.
The Ascent went back to the shop in
December for new A-pillar and B-pillar trim
and a new seat belt retractor. No issues
were found with the HVAC system. Then the
car was transferred to the collision shop to
fix the scrapes left by the New York valet
earlier in the year. Holiday season meant it
would be a new year before we would get
our SUV back.
We picked up the Ascent in January
and attempted to throw the new plates
in the back—the old ones had expired.
The rear hatch wouldn’t open. So it went
right back to the service bay, where a tech
disconnected the battery and rebooted
the car, which reset the liftgate height.
On a positive note, the scraped side
has been repaired at a cost of $1,542.03,
and the valet company has agreed to pay
$700 of that.
We have managed to avoid any further
trips to the dealer, but the SUV has not
been trouble-free. The door lock acted up
once more: The passenger door could not
be opened with the key fob. Fortunately,
that bug has not resurfaced. And on a trip
north, the car would not restart after we
stopped for gas. It got hung up in acces-
sory mode and wouldn’t turn on or off. After
long, anxious minutes of pushing, shifting,
and pressing everything imaginable, it
turned off and could be restarted. That
bug also has not resurfaced.
For the months the car has been on
the road, it has averaged 21.0 mpg,
unchanged since our last update. Fingers
crossed we make it to the finish line with no
more dealership visits."Ghosts in the machine? Our long-term
Ascent has had a rough few months."
Alisa PriddleService life:
15 mo/ 20 ,671 miles • Avg Fuel Econ: 20 .8 mpgAvg CO2 0.93 lb/mi Energy cons 160 kW-hr/100 mi Unresolved problems None
Maintenance cost $0 (oil change, inspection, tire rotation) Normal-wear cost $0
Base price $39,970 As-tested $43,551 EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ 20/26/22 mpg
Subaru Ascent
MT GARAGE
Our Subaru
Ascent has a
calm cabin
again, after
series of
warning lights
led to months at
the dealership.Our interior was pristine
before being ripped up and
the trim on the pillars had
to be replaced. The engine
is running smoothly again,
thankfully. We’re hoping
the final part of our loan is
trouble-free.82 MOTORTREND.COM JUNE 2020